8 replies to this topic

[Iacov]

hey guys

I can't decide to use the cat k2 or jester... it's basically a question about the tertiary armament... (primary erppcs, secondary lplas)

MGs have a higher dps on paper, according to smurfy
but splas offer a direct damage without having to stay on target all the time and without the cone of fire
two MGs or splas weigh the same... if you had to choose, what would it be?
what will offer me more advantage in a firefight?

thanks in advance!
cheers

[OneEyed Jack]

2 Medium Lasers. Hit things that aren't close enough to kiss.

And JJs.

Don't get me wrong, K2 is a lovely mech. But if you pick it for the ability to run MGs, you're doing it wrong.

[Mudhutwarrior]

OneEyed Jack, on 08 December 2013 - 06:03 AM, said:

2 Medium Lasers. Hit things that aren't close enough to kiss.

And JJs.

Don't get me wrong, K2 is a lovely mech. But if you pick it for the ability to run MGs, you're doing it wrong.

Agreed

[Iacov]

I know that mlas would be an option, but I enjoy the wupwup of pulse lasers as much as I do like the MG's dakkadakka... so no mlas for me

so it's either MGs or splas/mplas(if there would be enough free tonnage) for my cat
theory would point towards the MGs but the practice can be very different

[stjobe]

Both options are terrible; you'd be better off using the 2 tons for 2xDHS, more armour, or 2 tons of ammo for your AMS.

But if you're really set on either MGs or SPLs, pick the SPLs, they're way better than the MGs (don't know how you read that the MG had higher DPS than the SPL, it's 1.0 vs 1.24 - 3.4 damage over 0.5 seconds vs 0.1 damage every 0.1 second).

Or, to put it another way, with the 2xSPL you get 6.8 damage in 0.5 seconds, whereas with the 2xMG you get 1.0 damage in 0.5 seconds.

[Deathlike]

Small Pulse are not worth using, since you'd be better off with two meds.

MGs are far more useful when the opponent's internals are exposed...

Small Lasers are not really that useful on anything if you're not a light mech being able to close that gap...

[Prezimonto]

you need 3 or better mg hard points to even consider using them for effect... and even still most builds don't use them well.

The Spider is about the only small mech with enough speed and damage mitigation to use them well, and it typically stands off until the fight is at least 1/2 over and then engages to get quick clean up kills.

The ballistic cicada is too large to avoid hits and do anything but hunt lights effectively (and that not well without jump jets).

The locust takes no damage and blows up, which means builds that rely on getting close are generally terrible unless you're an exceptional pilot and have a map you can navigate between terrain as cover.

Scale up and the jager-DD is the only larger mech with enough hard points (and 6 mgs) to make any kind of effective builds for larger mechs, and it's still pretty bad in most situations because it has to close to deal damage.

That being said, the Jester is a terrible mech for what it's supposed to do, I wouldn't waste money on it. Big body, without the heavy armor or massive engine needed to be survivable or swift. It's best feature is dual ams, which if you want that grab the locust(for much cheaper) and fill the same role as anti-harasser guard to your main blob for much less tonnage.

Edited by Prezimonto, 08 December 2013 - 09:13 AM.

[levitas]

I disagree with the idea that the jester is terrible for what it is. It's a really fast heavy direct fire support mech that can fire off 2xPPC with as much safety as you can hope for in this game. It can go 90 kph with 19 DHS, AMS, as well as both 2xPPC (with jump jets) and 4xML. You have some of the highest hardpoints in the game for those PPCs, making poptarting about as safe as it can possibly get. You get 4ML, more than enough to swat away anything light enough to want to close on you, and in a pinch, you can fire off one or two 40 point alphas.

The really nice thing about going 90 kph in this thing is that you get to choose the place of your engagement against anything that outguns you, which helps you maximize the effectiveness of your ppc/jump jets together. You can relocate to a better position 30% faster than most phract 3Ds, and 50% faster than most assaults.

The downsides are of course that you run a bit hot if you try to use both the MLs and the PPCs at the same time, and that the geometry of a catapult makes tanking impossible.

Edited by solar levitas, 08 December 2013 - 09:40 AM.

[Kubernetes]

I don't agree that SPLs are useless. If you're heat limited and need some close-in weapons to complement PPCs, SPLs have near the same DPS as Med Lasers for far less heat.